Ashish Banerjee had continuously represented Rampurhat constituency in the state assembly from 2001 to 2026.
Rampurhat. The body of former Deputy Speaker of West Bengal Assembly Ashish Banerjee was found hanging in the office of Trinamool Congress in Birbhum district on Sunday morning. Police sources gave this information. Sources said that a 'suicide note' was also recovered from the party office located near Banerjee's residence in Hattala Pada area of Rampurhat.
Banerjee's 'suicide note' circulated widely on social media states that no one is responsible for her death and she also expressed regret over entering politics. However, the daily spokesperson could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.
Police reached the spot and the body was taken for post-mortem. Sources said that it is not yet known the circumstances under which Banerjee died and the police are investigating the things written in the alleged 'suicide note' and other circumstances related to the incident.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Ashish Banerjee had continuously represented the Rampurhat constituency in the state assembly from 2001 to 2026. He was the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and was also the Minister of various departments including School Education and Agriculture in the previous government of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Wrote this in the suicide note
According to the 'suicide note', Ashish Banerjee claimed that he was never involved in corruption and never took money in return for any work. He also reportedly wrote that he could not always accept wrongdoings within the party but could not oppose them either.
Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA) has also been mentioned in the suicide note. Ashish Banerjee claimed in the suicide note that he had no role in the authority's decisions related to tenders, issuing cheques, approving schemes or issuing no objection certificates. According to the suicide note, he alleged that attempts were made to 'defame' and humiliate him and he felt that entering politics was his mistake.
Advice to family members not to enter politics
Ashish Banerjee, who was associated with politics since his student days, had also worked as a teacher. In the alleged suicide note, he advised his family members not to enter politics and recalled the love he received from his students. He contested the 2026 assembly elections from Rampurhat seat on a Trinamool Congress ticket but lost to Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Dhruv Saha by a margin of over 24,000 votes. Party sources said that after the election defeat, Banerjee was not particularly active in politics.